Some 1.3 million people have given up driving over the past 12 months, research by Sainsbury's Car Insurance claims.

The average car owner is spending around £1,720 per year to fuel their vehicle, which is almost a third increase on the year before.

Three-quarters of motorists have changed their driving habits in the past 12 months, including driving more slowly.

The research comes amid challenging conditions for consumers as the rising cost of living and muted wage growth stifle spending power. The average cost of petrol is 136p a litre, according to the AA, down 0.86p on the mid-May average but higher than the 135.75p a litre figure on June 5.

Elsewhere, households are feeling the pressure from rising food prices and utility bill increases.
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Some changes to motoring habits identified by the research include stopping filling up tanks fully, which 26 per cent admit to doing, and purchasing specific values of fuel.

Some 45 per cent of motorists  16.5 million people  are now driving less and seven per cent have started to car share, the research revealed. A further 10 per cent  3.53 million  have downgraded their car for one that is cheaper to run.

Simples. Cars cost LOTS of money to run over here. Road Tax, MOT fees (plus servicing and maint), mandatory insurance (with its comparitively high cost) and finally fuel at £1.30 a LITRE in my home town (and thats probably the cheapest in the North West) mean that donating a kidney and a testicle without anasthetic is only marginally more painful over the course of a year.

The real question is why is that figure of 1.3 million not higher? And I stand by my belief that outaside of London and a couple of other highly urban areas public transport is so lacking as to be an irrelevencem, AND its expensive except for special groups like school kids and pensioners.

Remembering that the statement was made by an insurance company, it could be that their data more correctly reflects the number of drivers not re-insuring. I'd side with vvaannmmaann in that the number of cars on the roads doesn't seem any less, suggesting that it's a data error.

On the other hand, 1.3 million people ceasing to be drivers is a credible number, accounted for by natural wastage - e.g. death, infirmity, custodial sentences, etc. - while omitting the number of new drivers, both legal and unaccounted for.

The A14 between Ipswich and Cambridge isn't as busy over as long a period of time each day as it was and I've noticed a lowering of average speed on it when the road is clear. Rarely anyone doing over 80 nowadays with many sitting on 70.

When I first started the contract I am on nearly 4 years ago, it used to cost me £49 -£50 to fill up my car. Now a full tank breaks £70.

Due to that I did a few experiments with normal and super diesel fuels and lowered my cruising speed from 85-90 down to 75-80 and I've gone from 41mpg to 48 mpg. All this in an '56 plated BMW Series 1. However, my BMW F800GS (motorbike for the unknowing) I get 65 mpg.

It's no real secret that every government likes to bum **** the motorist foir every single penny that they can get.

Like with duty on fags and booze, the problem that high taxation causes is that of evasion. How many billions are lost by the treasury every year through the smuggling of fags and by Brits trying to bring van loads of booze from the continent. I believe that we are long past the era of cheap fags encouraging people to smoke, if they're week, then they'll smoke regardless of the cost.

Plenty of traffic around here and most of it seems to be travelling at 80+. Yesterday, I saw a brand new Aston Martin on trade plates travelling at well beyond the speed of the pack on the M5 at Gloucester. Nice of the driver to break it in for the new owner...

On the other hand, I have noticed another increase in the number of cars parked up on drives, roadsides etc with "for sale" notices. I first noticed that in 2008 during the last major jump in fuel prices and then it died away. But it is back and there are lots of "bargains" on the garage forecourts.

I drive my Old Geezer's car at around 55 to 60 mph. I still get lots of F*king Clowns up me rear end, especially in 30 mph built up zones who are flashing their lights, honking their horns and waving fists at me out of the window...... maybe I should get my Mobility Scooter off the road and stop straddling the white lines......

The answer is that there's long been an argument raging between those who want to promote 'environmental' action through punitive taxation and those who say that any tax high enough to massively change behaviour will be incredibly destructive. Both sides will use this data to prove that their view is right. I suspect Puttees is right and we've simply criminalised the bottom segment of the motoring population. Happy days if they hit you on the road. Welcome back to the Middle Ages, where the peasants aren't able to travel.

Maybe a large part of it is just down to simple economy. If you happen to live close to public transport routes and you have an either/or option - then sooner or later, rising costs at the pump will sway you into making the obvious choice of PT.

Failing that, if you live in a more rural area and the squeeze is starting to make you question where you can cut back on spending, then you look at lift sharing, or even part sharing. Both me and Mrs Cameron have to drive at least ten miles to work - the bonus being that several people on my estate work at the same place, so we lift share more often than not. The only reason I have not done so before is convenience. That and the fact that when my wife works lates, I'm often not in a hurry to leave the office on time.

Maybe a large part of it is just down to simple economy. If you happen to live close to public transport routes and you have an either/or option - then sooner or later, rising costs at the pump will sway you into making the obvious choice of PT.

Failing that, if you live in a more rural area and the squeeze is starting to make you question where you can cut back on spending, then you look at lift sharing, or even part sharing. Both me and Mrs Cameron have to drive at least ten miles to work - the bonus being that several people on my estate work at the same place, so we lift share more often than not. The only reason I have not done so before is convenience. That and the fact that when my wife works lates, I'm often not in a hurry to leave the office on time.

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bollocks,have you seen the price of using public transport.costs an effing fortune.